Home / VIRTUAL EVERESTING RULES

Given the desire to as closely resemble a traditional Everesting attempt in the elements, Virtual Everesting requires a strictly-enforced set of rules to ensure the closest approximation of conditions knowingly possible. There will always be opportunities to ‘game’ the system. It is for this reason that before listing a single rule, we ask that any attempt is conducted in the spirit of the challenge. These attempts will be scrutinised more closely by our team, but also by the Everesting community. Best of luck with your attempt, and if you are in doubt with any of the rules or requirements please don’t hesitate to contact us: info@hells500.com

The following rules will apply to riders attempting their own Virtual Everesting (vEveresting):

** Please note a new rule on vEverestings: to qualify, you must have first completed at least one Everesting or High Rouleur’s ride. **

Application Specific Rules:
Strict rules outlined for the use of approved vEveresting applications.
At present this only Zwift has been approved. We will work with other training app companies to produce a list of specific settings for their applications.

Zwift specific settings:– Must be on an electronically controlled smart-trainer. Kickr, or specific CyclOps or Tacx trainers. This is to ensure the physical effort of vEveresting is in line with that of a traditional Everesting attempt.
– Gradient setting to 100% replication/max. This isn’t a game! Riding up 7% means you have to ride up 7%.
– Your profile weight has to be accurate as of the day you vEverest.

Ride Verification:
– Additional sensors should be used. Heart Rate, cadence, power meter. These will be used to verify the physical effort matches that of a traditional Everesting attempt.
– Ride to be recorded with a Garmin or other head unit so we can correlate this with the data recorded by the application in use.
– Zwift saves FIT files, even in the event of a program exception. If for whatever reason the program/computer resets, reload and keep going to schedule (you’ve planned for this, right, you know how many laps to go!). FIT files can be joined/combined when you’re finished and uploaded to Strava as your complete vEverest attempt.

Photos:
Record your set up, your cycle cave, your experience in photographs. Receiving data files is good, but we want to see the effort, the emotion, and your story.

The Glory:
– Unfortunately there is no Grey Stripe for vEverest, but all the kudos that accompanies it.
– No listing on the official Everesting hall of fame. You will be given recognition in the Virtual Everesting Hall of Fame.

Zwift generated data Files:
Ideally we’d want the whole ride in FIT files (two of them) from both Zwift and the Garmin. Either by leaving Zwift open for the entire ride, or joining multiple FIT files in the event of Zwift exiting or the system rebooting. This is why it is important to set up the PC/Mac in the best way to ensure it won’t do this (Tips for the vEveresting duration Turn off all Power Saving, disable installation of updates, disable Anti-Virus/updates, and don’t multi-task during the event.)

Weighing yourself:
Once at the start will be sufficient. The 1-2kg changes happen in the real world when your water bottles and pockets are full/empty/etc. Everesting takes a long time, a llloonngg time, so setting up the environment where you can focus purely on the effort, and not the technicalities, is ideal.

vEveresting on a Standard Trainer:
We don’t believe it is in the spirit of Everesting, where the physical demands are high in one direction, like climbing Everest. There are other indoor endurance events such as a Sufferfest Knighthood if people want to just ‘go long’ on the indoor trainer.

Trainer Pre-Prep:If using a Kickr, a ‘spindown calibration’ should be performed prior to the attempt. This can be done on the day prior if the Kickr is in place and won’t be moved (Wahoo recommend performing a spindown if the units are transported). Following similar procedures for other smart-trainers as per their documentation and once they’re approved for vEveresting. Calibration values can be submitted as part of the vEverest verification process (screen shot is fine).

Tips:
– Disable any automatic installation of Windows/OSX/Anti-Virus updates that may automatically reboot your computer.
– Use a USB extension cable to get your ANT+ stick close to your sensors. You want every pedal stroke to count!
– Worldwide ride support. Anyone can join in and ride with. Hell yeah! Make your attempt known and you’ll have people all over the world to ride with.
– Your Zwift name during the attempt should indicate you’re vEveresting (First Last vEveresting).. If that fits on the program?

Garmin Battery Tip:Turn off the GPS function and any back-lighting for vEveresting. Better yet, leave the unit plugged into mains power.

Rules about the virtual ride route

– Rides can be of any length, and on any hill or mountain within the Zwift framework.

– It does not matter how long the ride takes, but it must be ridden in one attempt (i.e. no sleeping in between). Breaks for meals etc. are fine. You can break for as long or as little as you like. Bear in mind break times add up quickly, and can add significantly to your elapsed time.

– The first vEveresting ride for each climb will be signified by ‘First’ on the virtual everesting hall of fame (or First* if you everested at the same time as more than one other rider). Copied a ride that someone else has done? It absolutely still counts in the hall of fame. vEveresting is a tough day on the trainer whichever way you look at it.

– Interested in Everesting as a group for a first known ascent? That’s fine, and so long as you are not finishing hours and hours apart we’ll include all riders in the Virtual Everesting Hall of Fame with an asterisk to signify the group attempt.

– Rides can be added retrospectively, however they must be able to be correctly verified in order to qualify. If it turns out someone was before you, then they were before you. Simple.

– We suggest you take pictures of your stats throughout the ride. History has shown that data can fail, either on the bike or in the upload. Data is important, but we understand shit happens. So long as you can sufficiently prove the ride we’ll accept it. We’ll decide on a case-by-case basis and may include the requirement to ‘pinky swear’.

– Batteries have a tendency to die after around 15 hours of recording. Your computer should be plugged into mains to avoid battery issues. Or just ride faster.

Strava

– All rides must be publicly verifiable via Strava (i.e not set to private).

– Once the 8,848m is complete the current lap can be abandoned or completed at the rider’s discretion. The ride must be more than 8,848m on Strava so use a little bit of common sense and log some extra vertical metres just to be safe.

Submission

– Submit your ride through our good mates at Veloviewer. You’ll need to connect your Strava profile (if you don’t have one, create one) and a link to your ride. You will need to specify the ride as ‘virtual’

– All Everesting submissions must be verified by our panel prior to being accepted as valid. We’re usually pretty quick with the turnaround, but give it 48 hours.

Why is vEveresting smart-trainer only?

The idea of smart-trainer only is around simulating climbing as much as possible. For example 300W on a LeMond Revolution in the 53/17 at say 100rpm is a lot different to 300W on a Kickr in the 39/21 slogging up a 8% incline. Same power, yes, but the latter is a lot more like climbing, and with different inertia in the flywheel. If anyone recalls the ANT issue (now resolved) last month where the Kickr wasn’t changing resistance, when you hit the hill it just wasn’t like climbing. The simulation of having the hill/incline delivered to you wasn’t there.

Out of respect for those who have, and will complete an Everesting outside, vEveresting has to be as close to the physical effort indoors as an Everesting outdoors… and it isn’t possible to Everest on a velodrome, even when riding at x watts for y hours.

Unfortunately there is an associated cost with having to buy (or hire, or loan) a smart-trainer to vEverest. I’m doing my best to get a hold of every type of smart-trainer to verify they’ll be suitable for vEveresting. As the rules state, we need to make sure 7% feels like 7%, where it really isn’t possible to ride it in the 53, all day.

However – Just like Zwift, vEveresting is very much in beta, and could be patched at any time with more details based on feedback from the vEverest pioneers.

The nitty gritty

– Riders take full responsibility for taking on an Everesting attempt. The excuse “you told me to” won’t stick. Talk it through with your mates and family. They are generally a pretty good judge of whether you should be sweating it out on a a stationary bike for 20 hours. Listen to your mum.

– Your consideration of this challenge means that you are going to explore the limits of what your body is capable of. Know your limits, know the signs of breakdown, and be prepared to walk away.